Mobile Meals

Mobile Meals of Toledo serves more than 500,000 meals to 1,200 people each year, averaging 600 clients served daily. I only witnessed a dozen deliveries, but it was enough to earn some insight on how much life and freedom can be packed into a large brown lunch bag.

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Mobile Meals Marketing Coordinator Mike Toth arranged for an April 9 “media day,” during which writers from the region’s newspapers could deliver meals and see the program up close. As Toth and his band Nine Lives have answered every call for every charity request I have made in the past few years, it was an easy yes.

Toledo Free Press Managing Editor Sarah Ottney, Design Editor James A. Molnar and I met Toth at the Mobile Meals pickup location at the Medical Mutual building on West Sylvania Avenue to load a dozen prepared meals into my car and deliver a route.

Toth explained that for $2.50 a day, participants have lunch, a snack and dinner delivered to their doors. Meals can be arranged for specific medical needs — diabetic, weight control, allergy, low sodium, etc. — and to personal taste, to a point.

“There’s a lot of chicken,” he said, noting its ease of preparation and versatility.

Mobile Meals was launched in 1967 by a group of doctors’ wives who saw a need for support of older or infirm people who wanted to live independently but needed help with meal preparation. The organization now utilizes some 600 volunteers to deliver meals throughout Lucas County and some outlying areas as well.

Carolinea Heintz, one of the Mobile Meals founders, has written, “The official purpose of our service was: The provision of palatable meals that supply essential nutrients to a person who is unable to prepare or obtain adequate meals during a period of need or to someone who is unable to fully understand and prepare a modified diet. This service is for all who would benefit from it regardless of income, with emphasis on the aged.”

Our route took us along Central Avenue down Holland-Sylvania Road and over to McCord Road, with a number of our deliveries concentrated in one apartment complex. We delivered to people who wanted their food left inside a garage with no contact, to people who politely accepted their meals and went back to their day, and to people who wanted to chat and visit over the background television drone.

It became clear within our first few stops how crucial the service is; without these delivered meals, some of the folks on our route would not be able to live on their own. These are folks who can take care of themselves but aren’t hopping in the car to drive to Walt Churchill’s Market. Knowing their food is coming every day must offer great peace of mind, and knowing those meals are smart and healthy must offer similar confidence for families and caregivers.

Mobile Meals is seeking volunteers for its routes, which can take as little as one or two lunch hours per month. Learn more at mobilemeals.org or call (419) 255-7806.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press. Email him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

New O-I food containers test-marketed at Churchill’s

For nearly a year, Walt Churchill’s Markets in Perrysburg and Maumee have served as test market sites for an innovative new line of glass food containers from Owens-Illinois (O-I) called Versa.

Almost everyone has tried to pour sauce neatly from a jar only to have it splash messily over the rim or tried in vain to scrape the last drops of salsa from a jar without hitting their knuckles on the rim.

O-I aims to address those familiar consumer hassles with its Versa line, which it plans to bring to retail store shelves throughout the U.S., Europe and South America.

To test the new containers, O-I partnered with Churchill’s, which agreed to sell a limited run of each jar filled with its own signature line of products.

“They have the creativity of coming up with a jar they think has potential and then we try to match a product to the jar,” said Walt Churchill, owner and president of Walt Churchill’s Market. “They want to experiment with different containers and see how the market accepts them and we’re trying to develop a private label, a stable of signature products you might say. Over the years we’ve been pushing the envelope, working with different companies, so this was just a natural extension of that. I’m looking forward to continuing doing these new products.”

“It’s in our backyard, a specialty grocery store, known and trusted in the marketplace. They bring special foods to market for their customers and they are interested in experimenting,” Shoffner said.

The first product, which hit shelves at Churchill’s in April, was the VersaFlow, a 26-ounce marinara-style jar with a built-in pour spout. A smaller 12-ounce version, designed for sauces and condiments, launched in October. The limited run of larger marinara jars is sold out, but Churchill’s still carries honey chipotle sauce in the smaller VersaFlow jars.

The VersaFlip jar is the third and most recent product in the Versa line. Filled with 16 ounces of Churchill’s special recipe Salsa Rustica, the VersaFlip debuted Jan. 18. Northwest Ohio is the only testing location in the U.S. for the new glass container.

The VersaFlip’s unique design features a wide opening for easy dipping and, once the salsa is too low for dipping, facets along the lower half of the jar allow it to be tipped and stay tipped, making it easier to reach the last bit of salsa.

The Versa brand is all about making the consumer experience with food better, Shoffner said.

“We’ve had a really good response from people,” Shoffner said. “Overwhelmingly when people see [the VersaFlow], it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s fantastic!’ It’s an immediate get. It’s similar with the VersaFlip. When it’s sitting here, it looks like a regular jar, but the minute you tip it, people get it. They’re like ‘Oh, that’s so cool. Why didn’t someone think of this sooner?’ It’s easy to envision a lot of different products in this.”

The products seem to be resonating with consumers. Half the limited run of salsa jars have already been sold, Shoffner said.

O-I’s focus has shifted from simply selling glass products to being a leader in innovation, Shoffner said.

“At one point, O-I’s business was driven by more of a commodity volume. How many bottles can we sell you today?” Shoffner said. “The O-I today and in the future is focused more on our customers’ needs and driving their business through bringing innovation that helps our customers differentiate themselves on the retail shelf.”

O-I is working on finding a commercial customer for its Versa jars and more Versa designs are in the works, Shoffner said.

“Right now we’re working all over the world with our marketing and sales teams to commercialize it with a customer,” Shoffner said. “There’s more to come in the Versa pipeline, absolutely.”

Churchill’s Markets are located at 26625 Dixie Hwy. in Perrysburg and 3320 Briarfield Blvd. in Maumee.

Owens-Illinois, headquartered in Perrysburg, is the world’s largest glass container manufacturer. The company employs more than 24,000 people at 81 plants in 21 countries and had revenues of $7.4 billion in 2011.

Round Up Hunger campaign returns to Walt Churchill’s Market

After last year’s Round Up Hunger campaign raised $5,975 for Feed Lucas County Children (FLCC), Executive Director of FLCC Tony Siebeneck is excited to see its return and hopefully, growth.

“I think we’re going to see more funds raised because the public is getting more informed on the child hunger issue,” Siebeneck said.

The campaign will occur over over a two week period, July 1-14. During this time, customers at both of Walt Churchill’s Market locations (3320 Briarfield Blvd. in Maumee and 26625 Dixie Highway in Perrysburg) will be asked if they want to “round up” their total purchase amount to the next whole dollar, with the difference going to help FLCC build their new community kitchen.

“It gives everyone the chance to feel like they’re making a difference. Even if it’s a small amount out of someone’s budget, when we put it together, it can make a difference,” said Chris Kozak, communications manager at Columbia Gas.

Kunal Dawar, assistant store manager and grocery director at Walt Churchill’s Market in Maumee said that last year, one customer donated $50.

“You can definitely give more if you so choose,” Dawar said.

FLCC aims to feed children that live below the poverty line in Lucas County by serving free, nutritious meals at various community locations throughout the day. FLCC serves the community all year long, but its busiest time of the year is summer. Since 2002, the organization has fed more than 700,000 children 18 and younger. This summer, FLCC is serving from over 80 countywide locations.

“I was so impressed with what [Tony] does, and the impact he has on the lives of children across Lucas County. It’s inspiring to see someone do something that has that impact. We’re honored to be a part of the program,” Kozak said.

FLCC had made such an impact on the area that the organization was recently called upon to speak to the state Senate on child summer hunger.

“I did a conference call when the Senate was in session because they wanted a real understanding of the summer hunger issue and they were impressed by the Lucas County program,” Siebeneck said. “Out of the [88] counties in Ohio, about 10 have no food program in place during the summer for kids.”

Siebeneck said that with the creation of the organization’s new community kitchen, where all the meals are prepared and distributed, FLCC could possibly be the first county in Ohio to end summer hunger. Twenty-four thousand kids live at or below the poverty line in Lucas County, and this kitchen would be able to feed 20,000 children a day, Siebeneck said.

“We already have the building (for the new kitchen) identified,” Siebeneck said. “Right now we just need every living soul to re-direct their philanthropy to this kitchen, just for one year. It will give back for decades down the road.”

The new kitchen will continue to provide healthy, FDA-approved meals, Siebeneck said.

“When the Ohio Department of Education released higher standards (for school meals) in January and February, we were already meeting or exceeding 95 percent of the standards,” Siebeneck said.

On any given day in June, the number of meals delivered may be 3,400, but it drastically increases to about 6,000 in July, for no identified reason, Siebeneck said.

He said the organization has outgrown its Downtown rented space in the old Macomber High School building on Monroe Street. Siebeneck said they will keep their old equipment and purchase some new, bigger machines, along with two more prep tables and two unloading docks for semi trucks. The approximately 200 volunteers that FLCC uses will remain the same, Siebeneck said.

The Perrysburg location of Walt Churchill’s Market is in Wood County, which will soon be receiving assistance from FLCC.

“Next year we already know we’re going to be feeding kids in Wood County, south of Rossford,” Siebeneck said. “The percentage of kids eligible for reduced and free lunches is climbing in Perrysburg and Wood County schools. We have already had two groups contact us, so we will be feeding kids there next summer. So the campaign will benefit Wood County as much as Lucas.”

Siebeneck said hunger doesn’t have any boundaries.

“Even if we take other communities like Sylvania, Maumee, Oregon, the number of kids falling into the category (of poverty) each year is increasing,” Siebeneck said.

Siebeneck said by supplying food to be served at area community organizations such as churches, schools and other centers, FLCC is providing the foundation for them to grow and increase its visibility in the community.